Co-Constructing Democracy in Play: Kindergarten Children’s Civic Participation in a Structured Role Simulation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Connecting the past, present, and future: Reclaiming play and literacy for all children

Abstract

This paper examines how five- to six-year-old children engaged in democratic participation during a one-week structured play simulation in two Chinese kindergartens. During the simulation, children enacted civic roles such as business owners and civil servants, adapting their behaviors based on social functions and revising group norms through collective negotiation. Five teachers participated in post-intervention interviews to share their perceptions of children’s civic engagement. Findings show that children negotiated shared rules, engaged in turn-taking, resolved conflicts through peer dialogue, and reflected on responsibilities tied to institutional roles. Teachers interpreted these actions as expressions of democratic reasoning and civic awareness. The paper concludes that culturally responsive experiential learning through structured play can support civic understanding in China’s early childhood classrooms.

Author

• Qiming Liu, University of Cambridge